The vast majority of users of UAS vehicles use them for legitimate personal or commercial purposes. However, recent history has shown that a UAS can quickly be converted from a device that is beneficial for commerce and/or amusement to one that can deliver harm and destruction to a desired location. While certain laws are in place regarding the proper use of UAS vehicles, diligent legislation will not ensure nefarious actors will be completely eliminated or deterred.
Conventional drone detection systems have been designed to monitor an area for UAS vehicle activity and notify a designated person or entity if a drone is believed to be in the designated area under surveillance. However, this kind of system is limited in its ability to fully characterize the threat. For instance, certain brands and models of UAS vehicles are able to carry greater payloads than other brands and models of UAS vehicles, making them more likely to be able to deliver contraband or destructive devices into the monitored area. Further, certain brands and models of UAS vehicles may include better technological upgrades than other UAS brands and models, which make them better suited for precision delivery of contraband or destructive devices into the monitored area.
In certain situations, knowing the brand and model of the UAS vehicle may not be sufficient to properly evaluate the likelihood of intent to do harm or cause destruction. In some cases, being able to identify the specific the UAS vehicle down to the serial number or tail number for the brand and model of the UAS vehicle may provide the receiving party with additional information. This additional information may help the receiving party determine likelihood that the UAS vehicle is entering the monitored area with a negative intent.
In addition, knowing additional information about the UAS vehicle could further help the receiving party to determine the intent of the UAS vehicle. For example, being able to evaluate the level of strain on the one or more motors driving the UAS vehicle could help determine if the UAS vehicle is carrying a payload that is in addition to the weight of the UAS vehicle. More granularly, being able to evaluate the amount or weight of the payload could provide greater insight into the likely make-up of the payload and the actual potential for damage or destruction cause by the UAS vehicle or whether it is likely to be one that is not of concern.